R.I. Latinos lag their white counterparts

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island Latinos make less money than their white counterparts.

They have less education.

They have higher unemployment.

And they are the fastest growing segment of Rhode Island's population.

"This should make us all hear sirens in our head," said Anna Cano Morales, director of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Rhode Island's population has the 12th-highest concentration of Latinos in the country.

Morales, who was to unveil a report Monday afternoon that details the state of the Latino workforce in Rhode Island, said education and skills training are the keys to having this ever-growing segment of the population flourish.

While state leaders are concentrating their jobs-development agenda on what employers want, Morales said they should also address what potential workers want, what their skills are and what they need to improve those skills.

The Latino Policy Institute's report, which derives data from a December report, "The State of Working Rhode Island 201: Workers of Color," by the Economic Progress Institute at Rhode Island College, highlights a 38-percent growth in the state's Latino workforce, which rose from 8.4 percent of the overall workforce in 2004 to 11.6 percent in 2014.

With a majority of their jobs in the manufacturing sector, Latinos have been susceptible to the long, steady decline of that part of Rhode Island's economy, which has only seen a leveling off in the last few years, the Latino Policy Institute report says. As a result, Latino unemployment in Rhode Island stood at 16.2 percent in 2014, compared to New England and national rates of 11.4 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively, for Latinos, according to the report, which is presented as a poster with graphics.

Rhode Island Latinos also lag in median wages and median household income, the report says. The median hourly wage is $12.45 for Latinos, while it is $19.99 for whites. Median household income is $30,797 a year for Latinos, $61,406 for whites.

"Rising tides have not lifted all boats in the Ocean State," the Economic Progress Institute reports says. "As our state’s economy continues to recover from the devastating impacts of the Great Recession, there remains a jobs crisis in our urban communities which disproportionately impacts workers of color."

Morales said Connecticut and Massachusetts Latinos also lag their white counterparts, and suggested that a regional solution may be in order.

Rhode Island's Latino population is young, with a median age of 26, and rapidly growing — it is projected to double by 2040, Morales said.

That has Latinos poised to be a powerful force in the state's economy, she said.

The Latino Policy Institute's report was to be presented at the State House at 2 p.m. Monday.